La Canfora adds that the NFL wanted to send a strong individual message to Tomlin as well.

“He just got named to the competition committee,” La Canfora adds. “You’re an NFL head coach, you’re held to a very different standard. And then you’re a Super Bowl-winning head coach of a prominent team who’s playing on Thanksgiving night and just got elected to the competition committee, that’s going to have people’s head snapping back even more at (the league offices).”

The NFL may also strip the Steelers of a draft pick by the time it’s said and done.

“The Steelers were fearful they were going to lose a draft pick, and it was very much on the table,” La Canfora said. “The league was considering it. That will remain to be the case up until the draft. I don’t think we’ll get final word on that until the spring. Will they end up hitting them with a nominal loss of a draft pick? Maybe they lose a compensatory pick that they otherwise would have had. I think that’s very possible.”

La Canfora also explains why the NFL did not choose to suspend Tomlin, and looks at whether the officiating crew from that Steelers-Ravens game may be punished as well.